Ignitor
Road of Bones
Cruz Del Sur Music
2007
Texas has
entered the fray of the recent revival of traditional heavy metal that has been
on the upswing in recent years. The state's standard bearers are Ignitor
and this is their debut full length. References to Judas Priest and Iron
Maiden abound on Road of Bones though the confident power of Erika's vocals are
a slight deviation from this tried and true formula. After a somewhat
confusing intro the title track gallops into battle under the banner of catchy
melodies which attempt to resurrect the epic majesty of the forefathers of the
genre. Up next is Scarlet Enigma which borders on a thrashiness in the
riffing and has a really meaty production lending a modern feel to the song.
March to the Guillotine is sort of a mixed bag for me as it teeters on the brink
of being awesome and comical. The repetitive "march, march, march..."
somehow sounds silly, but when she screams out "to the guillotine!" I catch
myself screaming along with Erika. For me Erika's vocals stand out as the
one truly bright spot as she manages to exude power and strength. It's
really too bad that the music behind her isn't more memorable. Another
issue is that the production lends a really modern feel to a music that for me
should evoke a sense of nostalgia. Instead I find myself constantly
wishing for certain aspects to be injected in to the album rather than being
able to truly enjoy it for what it is. Road of Bones is just a middle of
the road album that doesn't really stand out amongst stronger efforts in the
ever expanding sea of their traditional metal contemporaries.